The Talent
by Dooly
Summary: Buttercup discovers a new power - but it's not what she'd hoped for! Chapter 3 and Final Chapter Up!
1. Default Chapter

I seem to be in a story-writing mood this week. Here's the first chapter of my next one - It shouldn't be too long, hopefully I'll get around to finishing it soon.  
The Talent  
  
By Dooly  
  
Characters copyright Cartoon Network  
  
Chapter 1  
  
The city of Townsville was experiencing exceptionally warm, sunny weather on the day after Labour Day. With the girls back at school after the summer, the Professor was taking a break from his scientific investigations to relax and enjoy the sunshine. He lay in his bathing suit in a lawn chair under a large umbrella, a copy of "Biogenetic Research Quarterly, The Swimsuit Issue" in his lap.  
  
"Ahh, this is the life!" he said, taking another sip of pink lemonade from the tall glass beside him. "I really needed a break like this to get the old mind back into top condition. Nothing but good reading, cool drinks, and lots of peace and quiet-"  
  
"Crash! Bam! Tinkle tinkle!" Various sounds of shattering glass and falling plaster could be heard from the inside of the Utonium residence.  
  
"Sounds like my little angels are home-" the Professor raised himself from his repose with a groan, and went to greet his three daughter-creations.  
  
"Professor!" the Powerpuff girls flew up happily to greet him, their school bags dragging from their shoulders.  
  
Seeing his girls so excited to tell him about their experiences, Professor Utonium brightened. "Hey girls, how was your first day of Senior Kindergarten?"  
  
"It was great, Professor!" Blossom beamed down at him from where she was hovering above. "Boy, those new kids sure were lost today! They didn't know the sandbox from the restroom! Miss Keane put me in charge of showing them around. See?" She thrust out her chest to proudly display the "Classroom Guide" button pinned to her dress.  
  
"And we got to play soccer outside today at gym, cause the weather was so nice!" Buttercup had obviously thrown herself whole-heartedly into the game, judging from the grass and dirt stains covering her dress and leggings.  
  
"And, we got to pick insertments for music class!" Bubbles squealed in excitement.  
  
"Instruments, Bubbles," corrected Blossom.  
  
"That's what I said," said Bubbles, "Look, I got a flute!" There was a flash of silver as she produced the instrument from her backpack.  
  
"Wow, Bubbles, that's really neat! Isn't it kind of a difficult instrument for someone your age, though?" asked the Professor.  
  
"Ms. Keane says I'm specially talented," Bubbles said proudly.  
  
"Yeah, you're 'special' alright," said Buttercup under her breath.  
  
Bubbles ignored her sister's remark. "Nobody else who tried it could even make a sound come out of it. Not even Blossom."  
  
"I could too, I just didn't feel like it," said Blossom brusquely, flipping her hair back over her shoulder.  
  
"I didn't even try it. Flutes are for sissies." Buttercup stated with confidence.  
  
"Well, I think I sound beaootiful on it." Bubbles maintained. "Sides, its not that hard, I only gotta play one note the whole song." Bubbles raised the instrument to her lips and blew across the mouthpiece. An incredibly piercing, high-pitched note emerged from the instrument, causing the Professors' lemonade glass to shatter and dogs for several miles around to begin barking furiously.  
  
"That was- uh- very memorable, Bubbles," the Professor said faintly, as several shards of glass fell from his lemonade soaked fingers to the ground. "Ummm-What instruments did you other two get?"  
  
"Triangle!" said Blossom, taking out her bent piece of metal and delicately tapping it with a rod to produce a resonating bell-like sound.  
  
"Sandpaper blocks!" proclaimed Buttercup. She took out the two wooden blocks covered in sandpaper, and proceeded to bash them together with great energy.  
  
"Hey, that's not how you're supposed to play them!" Blossom tried to grab the blocks from Buttercup to demonstrate, but her sister quickly hid them behind her back. Blossom sighed, and moved her bare hands to mime the correct playing of the instrument. "You have to rub them together, like this."  
  
"Aww, that's no fun. What's wrong with a little musical creativity, anyhow?" Buttercup began flying in circles around the room, banging her sandpaper blocks together for all she was worth.  
  
"We're gonna play a song for everybody at the school concert!" said Bubbles excitedly. "Well, I'd better start practicing!" She took a deep breath, and raised her flute up to her mouth again.  
  
"I just remembered, I've got some important business to attend to in the lab." the Professor began edging away quickly.  
  
Blossom, who was fortunately standing behind Bubbles, put her hands over her ears and grimaced, awaiting the next blast of sound-induced pain.  
  
"Yoink!" Buttercup had apparently lost interest in the joys of percussion, and had grabbed Bubble's instrument from out of her raised arms.  
  
"Hey, give it back!" Bubbles tried to grab her flute from her sister, who floated backwards out of the blonde girl's reach.  
  
"Relax, I just decided I want to try it after all," Buttercup said. "Just to show you I can."  
  
"Professor!" Bubbles whined. "That's my special instrument!"  
  
"Now Bubbles, there's nothing wrong with sharing your things with your sisters, is there?"  
  
"Yeah, so back off and let me try!" said Buttercup impudently, gaining her a stern look from the Professor.  
  
Bubbles backed off, and the Utonium family all watched as Buttercup brought the instrument to her lips.  
  
She blew. "Fweeeee!" a soft, richly musical sound echoed from the flute.  
  
"Huh, that was just beginners' luck," said Blossom, trying to keep the envy out of her voice. "Bet you can't do it again."  
  
Buttercup once again blew across the mouthpiece of the flute, using her hands to randomly cover some of the holes. "Fweee, Fwu, Fuuwwoooo!" Several crystal clear notes emerged from the instrument, gently echoing in the quiet room around her.  
  
"Wow Buttercup, you're even better than me!" said Bubbles in admiration. "Do it again!"  
  
Buttercup made a third attempt at playing the instrument. A beautiful, airy tune emerged from the flute. Buttercup's hands flew across the instrument as if she had been in training for years.  
  
The Professor's jaw dropped, and he barely managed to catch his pipe before it fell to the floor. "That's amazing Buttercup! Have you been practising in secret?"  
  
"No way, Professor! I told you, I don't want to play some sissy instrument! I've never touched one before in my life!" As surprised as the rest of them, Buttercup put the flute back up to her mouth, and once again produced an intricate, breath-taking melody from the instrument.  
  
"Maybe it's a magic flute," suggested Bubbles. "Maybe the magic flute fairy likes you Buttercup, and wants to help you make everyone happy!"  
  
"Make me sick!" said Buttercup, putting her hands over her stomach and pretending to throw up.  
  
"You know what I think," the Professor interceded. "I think we've found your first special power, Buttercup!"  
  
Buttercup looked shocked. "What! No way! No earthquakes? No transforming into a giant monster? My special power is playing some stupid flute? How's that going to help me do anything? She affected a deep voice "And the day is saved, thanks to boring music!"  
  
"Actually, Buttercup your special abilities don't have to correspond with superheroics - it's just a coincidence that most of your powers are suited to fighting crime. Really, almost any type of ability is possible, from flower arranging to bee taming! And, I think your music sounds lovely." He smiled at his dark-haired daughter. "Maybe Bubbles is right. Maybe your special talent is to make people around you happy!"  
  
Buttercup groaned. "Why couldn't I at least be good at a cool instrument, like drums or electric guitar?"  
  
"Hmmm. you may be on to something, Buttercup," the Professor mused. "After all, at first we thought Bubbles could only speak Spanish, but really she can speak numerous languages, both human and otherwise!"  
  
"Tiim!" Bubbles agreed in perfect Mongolian.  
  
"Well, I don't think sandpaper blocks will be on your list," remarked Blossom.  
  
Buttercup, already deeply involved in playing air guitar, ignored the comment.  
  
"Tell you what, Buttercup. After you girls do your homework and we have dinner, we'll drive over to a music store and see what you can do!"  
  
******  
  
Screech! the Professor winced in pain as Buttercup drew the bow across the viola. An array of discarded instruments, from drums to didgeridoos, littered the floor of the shop.  
  
"Well, your daughter certainly has uh-enthusiasm," said the shopkeeper tactfully. "But you know, it takes a lot of practice to play an instrument well. If she ever decides what type she'd like to learn, you could bring her back and try again. For now, why don't you start with something more basic like, say, sandpaper blocks!" He held out a pair of the paper-covered wood blocks to Buttercup. She took them resignedly and started scraping them against one another slowly.  
  
"Some sucky power," she muttered under her breath.  
  
"Hey Buttercup, I just thought of something!" Blossom exclaimed, a small figurative light bulb turning on above her head. 


	2. Chapter 2

Supergeek: Curses, I forgot that Buttercup could play the bass guitar! (tries to think of explanation) Oh well, errm, in my story she can't. Here's chapter 2.  
  
Characters copyright Cartoon Network  
  
Chapter 2  
  
"Well, here goes nothin!" Buttercup flew up to face the large, minotaur- like monster and raised the flute to her lips.  
  
"Fweee"-whaam!  
  
The monster's fur-covered fist made contact with her body, smashing her into a nearby building.  
  
"Uuuhh-,"  
  
"Try again, Buttercup!" urged Blossom. "You didn't even have time to play a proper tune. Try playing next to his ear!"  
  
"Fine, I'll try again, if it'll get you off my case!" Buttercup flew around behind the monster, so it wouldn't notice her approaching, and hovered beside its ear. She began playing a slow, lilting lullaby. The giant bovine face cocked to one side, as if intent on the music. The monster slowly turned its head so that its brown eyes could see the source of the sounds.  
  
Chomp!  
  
"Oooh, it ate her!" Bubbles put her hands to her mouth in alarm. "It liked her music too much!"  
  
Blossom decided now wasn't the time to delve into the mystery that was Bubbles' mind. "Let's go save her!"  
  
Before they could move, however, the monster bellowed in pain, and Buttercup flew out from its maw, flute in hand.  
  
"What happened?" asked Blossom.  
  
"I found a better use for this stupid thing!" Buttercup answered, dripping with saliva and half digested vegetable matter. "He didn't like it so much when I jammed it into his tonsils!" Bubbles wrinkled her nose in disgust at Buttercup's approach. "Ewww, you're all smelly and gunky, Buttercup! Get away from me!"  
  
An evil grin appeared on Buttercup's face. "What, don't you want a hug from your dear sister, who just narrowly escaped from a gruesome death?" She flung out her arms and flew towards her sister.  
  
"Eeeeeh!" Bubbles flew backwards in alarm.  
  
Suddenly, a large ball of green matter smacked into the blonde-haired girl, driving her back several feet in the air and covering her with slime.  
  
"Woahh, cud-ball!" exclaimed Buttercup.  
  
"Gross-gross-gross-gross-" coated in green goo, Bubbles floated to the ground in a state of shock.  
  
Blossom flew up to face the creature. "C'mon Buttercup, let's tenderize this beef!"  
  
"About time!" Blossom and Buttercup made short work of the cow-beast, then returned to aid their shell-shocked sister, lifting her in the air and heading towards home.  
  
"Gross-gross-gross-gross-"  
  
"Well, so much for my music casting any 'spell' on monsters," commented Buttercup.  
  
"Hey, maybe it didn't like Brahms, maybe you should have played Country and Western."  
  
"Well, as far as I'm concerned, the best way to beat monsters is still the good old-fashioned way; by beating them!"  
  
"I don't know, Buttercup, I think you should give it a couple of more tries - it can't hurt us to have a few extra tricks up our sleeves for future battles!"  
  
"That's true," Buttercup looked slyly at her sister. "After all, we can't rely on your ice breath, can we? I don't think I could count how many times that hasn't worked. I'll try, though- let's see, there were the chalk monsters, the super powered Gangreen Gang, the diamond thieves in the car-"  
  
"Ok, ok, I get the picture," Blossom said, perturbed. "Now let's get Bubbles home and into the bath before I lose my lunch!"  
  
"The cat monster- the monobot-,"  
  
"I said I get it!"  
  
"Gross-gross-gross-,"  
  
The two girls flew off, carrying their incapacitated sister towards Pokey Oaks suburb.  
  
**********  
  
"Yes, Mayor? We're on it!" Blossom jammed the hotline's receiver back in the cradle. "Girls, move out! Mojo Jojo's destroying Townsville! Buttercup, bring your flute!"  
  
Buttercup groaned. "Again? It hasn't worked on the last three monsters. Why would it work on Mojo?"  
  
"Maybe you're not concentrating enough. Just give it one more try, then I'll give it up as a bad idea, alright?"  
  
"Ok, but only one more time, sister, then this flute gets hung up for good!"  
  
"Mwa hahahahahah!" Mojo Jojo rolled down the street in a humongous tank, blasting buildings using the main laser gun jutting out from the turret. A particularly large explosion caused by ruptured gas lines set him off in yet another outburst of mirth. "Wuahahaha!"  
  
"Fwee, fowweee!"  
  
As Mojo paused from his insane laughter to take a breath, a jaunty flute tune floated through the air. Looking in the direction of the music, he was astonished to see Buttercup floating beside the vehicle, playing the aforementioned instrument.  
  
He looked mildly insulted. "What, do you expect me to start dancing around with a tin cup?"  
  
Buttercup gave up the attempt. "No, I expect you to get your monkey butt kicked by me!" She threw her flute aside and headed directly towards the villain.  
  
"That's what you think, Powerpuff Girl!"  
  
A laser beam shot out from one of the secondary guns, blasting the green Powerpuff girl back into a brick wall.  
  
From her vantage point on a nearby cloud, Blossom gave a signal to Bubbles, and they both converged on Mojo's war machine. The villain, who had been concentrating on Buttercup, didn't notice them approaching.  
  
Blossom blew out a blast of ice breath, covering the control panel of the tank and rendering it useless. Bubbles flew down and pulled the main gun off of the tank, wrapping it around the frozen monkey to incapacitate him.  
  
Buttercup pried herself out from the concavity that had been created when she hit the building. "Oooh, playing the flute involves too much getting smashed into walls."  
  
Looking up, she saw that her sisters had already taken care of Mojo. "And, I'm missing all the fun." She kicked the flute in disgust and floated away, arms folded.  
  
Noticing this display, Blossom followed after her. "Don't be so down, Buttercup, at least the disaster to the city was averted, thanks to my quick thinking, and the use of ice breath," she said, a little smugly.  
  
"Yeah, well, your ice breath is way better than my stupid power," Buttercup flew down to pick up the silver instrument, and began to slowly head for home.  
  
Blossom's smile faded. "Hey Buttercup, I didn't mean it like that. I'm sure your power will come in handy lots of times. Like, uh, like at the school concert!"  
  
"Oh, no! I'm not playing that thing at the concert! Ms. Keane gave me sandpaper blocks, so I'm playing sandpaper blocks!"  
  
********  
  
The next day at Pokey Oaks, Ms. Keane approached Buttercup excitedly as she entered the classroom.  
  
"Oh Buttercup, your father was on the phone to me last night, and he told me all about your great skill as a flautist!"  
  
"Oh, that's only when I eat too many bean burritos," Buttercup said modestly.  
  
"No, Buttercup, a flautist is someone who plays the flute. It's going to be wonderful to have such a skilled musician play at our concert! You can be the star of the show! And look, I've got the cutest little outfit for you to wear!" Mrs. Keane held out a frilly green dress with puffed sleeves and a matching hair bow and shoes.  
  
"Nooo!" Buttercup sank to her knees in despair.  
  
******* 


	3. Chapter 3

I finally got back to this story - it's the last time I say anything will be finished soon!  
Chapter 3  
  
When everyone assembled in the classroom, Ms. Keane turned to them with a smile. "Class, I have a special announcement to make. I have just discovered that we have a child prodigy in our midst!"  
  
"What's a progidy?" Bubbles asked the students at the table around her.  
  
"It's like a toad, stupid" Mitch whispered back to her.  
  
"Really? Bubbles looked around the room with interest, hoping to catch a glance of the new pet.  
  
"Our little superhero, Buttercup, is not only a great crime fighter, she is also musically gifted with woodwind instruments. Because of her talent, I have decided she will be the flute player at our school concert!"  
  
Buttercup mumbled something incomprehensible and looked down at the ground.  
  
Bubbles flew out of her seat in alarm. "But Ms. Keane, I was s'possed to play the flute in the concert! You said I was special, remember?"  
  
"You are special Bubbles, and you have a very - uhh - unique sound, but Buttercup has an exceptional gift that I think we should share with all of the family and friends of Pokey Oaks."  
  
Bubbles eyes watered up, then she burst into tears "I don't care if she is an amphibian, you said I could play the flute first!" Sobbing, she began to drift out of the classroom.  
  
"Bubbles, wait!" Ms. Keane called after her. "I have a different task for you that makes use of your own special talent!"  
  
Bubbles turned around, sniffling. "Really?"  
  
"Yes, you have shown yourself to be a very gifted artist, so I would really appreciate it if you would design the banner for our concert!"  
  
"Yay! I can do that! Where are my crayons?"  
  
As Bubbles zoomed off to find her art supplies, another hand raised imperatively from the back of the class.  
  
"Ms. Keane," a whiney voice piped up. "I wanted to be the star of the show! My daddy has had the finest voice coaches working with me for weeks to perfect my singing voice!"  
  
Ms. Keane sighed. "Princess, how many times do I have to tell you, you're playing the jingle bells! And you can't always be the centre of attention. You need to learn how to take turns with the other students."  
  
"She can take my place, I don't care!" Buttercup called out cheerfully.  
  
"Buttercup!" Ms. Keane looked disapprovingly at her. "Look, I've already given everyone their part in the concert, and nothing is going to change!  
  
"We'll just see about that!" Princess said, folding her arms calmly.  
  
********  
  
The day of the big concert finally arrived. Due to the beautiful weather they were having, and the air conditioner breaking down in the classroom again, it was to be held in the school playground. Benches were set up in front of a raised wooden platform that functioned as a stage. A large banner above the platform, colourfully decorated with kittens, rainbows and hearts, read "Pokey Oaks Skool Consert". Fallen leaves from nearby Pokey Oaks forest added to the festive look of the scene.  
  
"Oh boy, I can't wait to hear you girls perform in your first concert! I'm so proud of you!" the Professor enthused as he drove towards the kindergarten.  
  
Buttercup, dressed in her sparkly green dress, folded her arms and scowled. "Geez, it's no big deal. It's not like we're saving the town or anything."  
  
"Oh Buttercup, you look beautiful in that dress!" Bubbles exclaimed, "And that bow is so cute! You and Blossom could be twins!"  
  
"We are twins," replied Buttercup irritably. "Well, I think we are, anyway."  
  
"Well, here we are!" The Professor pulled into the school parking lot. The girls flew out the window and over to the concert area, where many students and their parents were already meandering about, waiting for the show.  
  
"Hey, who put that up?" Bubbles pointed to an elaborately decorated golden podium set up on the stage. "That wasn't there when I hung up my sign!"  
  
"I'll give you one guess," Blossom pointed to the initials "PM" which were embossed on its front.  
  
"Umm - Fuzzy Lumpkins?" Bubbles guessed.  
  
Blossom groaned. "Bubbles, that was a rhetorical question, I didn't expect you to answer!"  
  
"Well, then why'd you ask it? And I thought you were supposed to be the smart one! Hey, where's the Professor going?"  
  
The Professor was walking rapidly towards Ms. Keane, who was out trying to organize the parent volunteers at the orange drink table. He shoved a playbill featuring the image of Princess Morebucks into her face.  
  
"Ms. Keane, what is the meaning of this? My daughter is supposed to be the star of the show, and you've got some spoiled brat with as much talent as a toothpick taking her place!"  
  
"Relax, Professor Utonium. Your daughter is still a very important part of the show. I just decided to make a few adjustments, that's all." Ms. Keane said calmly, glancing down at her schedule.  
  
"It's all because of that Valentino thing, isn't it? Well, there's no way my dislike of felines should have any influence on how you treat my daughters!"  
  
"Please, Mr. Utonium, I'm a professional woman. I don't ever let my personal life affect my decisions as a teacher. Now calm down. You look like you're about to have kittens!"  
  
"I don't mind, really!" Buttercup flew between the two combatants. "She can take my place."  
  
"You stay out of this!" both grown-ups chorused.  
  
"Geez, what was I thinking? It's not like my opinion matters in this!" Buttercup muttered angrily, floating away.  
  
Ms Keane looked up at the irate parent in front of her. "Professor, you know how fond I am of your daughters, and Buttercup is a wonderful musician. It's just that Mr. Morebucks agreed to donate a substantial amount of money to the Pokey Oaks School Fund, and those holes in the roof are awfully expensive to repair."  
  
"Oh, so that's how it is, huh? Well, you just wait and see if I bring any instant coffee to the next PTA meeting!" The Professor stormed off.  
  
"Why Professor, I didn't know you could be so catty." Ms. Keane called after him, looking down at her schedule sheet again.  
  
"Ok, boys and girls, it's time to get started! Places, please!" Ms. Keane called out.  
  
The group of confused four and five year olds wandered around looking lost, until Ms. Keane herded them more or less into place and got them to stop banging randomly on their instruments.  
  
Mitch, spotting Buttercup in her frilly dress, pointed his finger at her and began to laugh "Ugh-ug-ug-Ack!"  
  
This last noise was in response to having a flute rammed into his throat. "That was just a warning," Buttercup said calmly. "You don't wanna know where it's going to go next time!"  
  
"Sorry, Buttercup - er - you look nice-real nice."  
  
"And don't you forget it!" Buttercup floated resignedly into her position. Now, let's get this over with so I can go home and kill something in the danger room!" 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
"Presenting, the starlet of the show, diva extraordinaire, proud heir to the Morebucks Financial Empire, Princess Morebucks!" This speech was heard from a loudspeaker being held by Alfred beside a limousine on the street. The butler proceeded to open the rear door of the limousine, and a red carpet fell out and unrolled itself up to the podium.  
  
Scattered applause came from the audience as Princess, dressed in a shimmering gold evening gown with a long train and high-heeled shoes, walked clumsily up to the stage.  
  
Ms. Keane waited until Princess was in place, then produced a conductor's wand and turned to her students. "Ok class, for the first number-"  
  
Princess held up her hand. "Wait a minute, Ms. Keane, I'm not quite ready yet. Alfred! Cue cards!"  
  
Alfred calmly donned on a pair of earmuffs, then walked up to his mistress, cards in hand. Princess adjusted the microphone attached to the podium.  
  
"This is gonna be bad, isn't it?" Blossom whispered to Julie Bean, who was standing beside her.  
  
"Well, maybe she'll make us sound better by comparison," Julie answered hopefully.  
  
"Ok class," Ms. Keane resumed, "We'll start with Mary had a Little Lamb. From the beginning, one, two-"  
  
The class begin to jangle, bang, and clang on their instruments, managing to create a sound that was a close approximation of the nursery rhyme.  
  
The music, however, was almost entirely drowned out by Princess' voice, which sounded pretty much like any other tone-deaf 5 year old's, blaring into the microphone.  
  
The parents in the audience groaned and sank down in their seats. Some looked up into the clear sky in hopes of seeing clouds that might end the concert early.  
  
Bubbles covered her ears with her sandpaper blocks. "Its times like this that I wish I didn't have supersonic hearing!" she whispered to Buttercup, who was doggedly playing along beside her. "You know, I don't think the audience can even here us!"  
  
Buttercup abruptly stopped playing. "I'll fix that. Here, take my flute. You can play the last chorus."  
  
"Really?" Bubbles exclaimed in delight.  
  
"Sure. Knock yourself out"  
  
Bubbles grabbed the instrument, took a deep breath, and blew with all her might.  
  
The piercing shriek that resulted produced echoing feedback from Princess's microphone for about half a minute, and shattered numerous panes of glass in the classroom behind her.  
  
When the sound had finally finished, the rest of the band had stopped playing. The audience stared in quiet astonishment, their hair blown back from the shock waves.  
  
"At least now I'm so deaf I won't be able to hear the rest of the concert!" said one grateful father.  
  
"That's my girl!" The Professor smiled at Bubbles and gave her the thumbs up signal.  
  
"Buttercup, may I remind you we all have our assigned instruments for this concert," Ms. Keane scolded her, looking ruefully at the piles of glass surrounding her classroom "At least it wasn't the roof again," she thought to herself.  
  
Buttercup took back her instrument, and the class continued their rendition of "Mary". Princess took a deep breath and, assuming an operatic pose, began singing again. She stopped almost as soon as she had started. "Hey, my microphone isn't working! That stupid bubble-brain blew it out!"  
  
"Princess, just keep singing!" Ms. Keane spoke under her breath. "Don't let it ruin the concert."  
  
Princess looked at her teacher, then collapsed onto the ground, kicking, screaming and crying. "Those stupid Powerpuff girls ruined my début performance! They did this on purpose, they hate me, and now nobody's listening to meeeeeee! Daddy! Do something!"  
  
All eyes turned to the figure in the business suit leaning out of the limousine. Daddy Morebucks raised and lowered his shoulder in a shrug.  
  
The rest of the band, unsure what to do in such circumstances, continued to play the nursery rhyme. Buttercup played her flute especially loud, hoping to drown out some of Princess's screechings.  
  
"Oh, man! I thought things couldn't get any worse than last year!" said one man, shifting uncomfortably.  
  
"Could you stop doing that, please," said the woman beside him. "You keep rubbing against my leg."  
  
"Oh sorry! I thought you were doing it." He looked down at his leg. Suddenly his eyes widened and he began to stutter. "Ssu-su -suu-snn"  
  
"Oh for heaven's sake, what are you going on about?" The woman looked down as well, then jumped in terror onto the bench screaming, "Snake!"  
  
Suddenly all of the parents in the audience were out of their seats, running from the playground or standing terrorized in fear as literally hundreds of snakes from Pokey Oaks forest writhed through the benches towards the stage. Most of them were smallish garter snakes, but a good number were of the larger, more menacing looking variety as well.  
  
"Ah, it's an invasion! The snakes are taking over Townsville!" yelled out one terrorized young mother.  
  
Princess, whose tantrum had finally abated enough for her to notice the recent turn of events, screamed and ran in panic from her podium. Tripping on her high heels, she rolled down the steps and was soon hopelessly entangled in the train of her dress. "Ah! Save me daddy, save me!"  
  
As the snakes approached, Mr. Morebucks hastily withdrew into his limousine and closed the door.  
  
"Girls, help!" the Professor called out. He was crouched in front of a bench with his hands over his head. A sea of serpents was writhing past him.  
  
"Finally, some action!" Buttercup threw down her flute and raced forward to do battle.  
  
"Buttercup! Don't hurt them! Snakes are good!" Bubbles shrieked in alarm, hands to her mouth.  
  
"Well, what am I supposed to do? Do you think they'll just go home if I ask them nicely?" Buttercup asked sarcastically.  
  
"Actually, it looks as if that's what they're doing," commented Blossom, pointing.  
  
As Blossom had said, the snakes that were heading towards the stage had turned tail and were now gliding rapidly back to the forest.  
  
"Weird," stated Buttercup. "Oh well, I guess we don't have to finish the concert now!" She looked out at the frightened, crying children, fallen Princess, and overturned benches left by fleeing audience members.  
  
Blossom looked thoughtful for a moment, then snapped her fingers. "That's it! Buttercup, play your flute again!"  
  
"What? No way! Why would I-" Buttercup's eyes widened slightly in understanding, and she picked up her instrument.  
  
"Fwee-fwuu-fwee!" As she began a simple tune, the snakes once again turned around and headed back towards the playground.  
  
Buttercup flew over to one side of the benches, still tootling, and the snakes slithered over in her direction, much to the relief of the parents who remained. She began slowly walking around the bench area. The snakes began moving into a long procession behind her, weaving their heads to the music and hissing softly.  
  
As she reached the first of the benches, she turned to walk in front of it, then turned again so that she was circling around the back of the stage, and continued on until she a "figure eight" around the observers. The audience and band members looked on, spellbound. The parents who had fled slowly returned, shame-facedly, and joined the astonished crowd.  
  
Princess, who had fallen close to the edge of the stage, was still thrashing about in an effort to get untangled from the extensive material of her dress. The train of serpents was passing directly before her eyes. The redheaded girl froze as a specimen with particularly large fangs turned to look at whatever was struggling frantically on the stage. She opened her mouth to scream.  
  
"I wouldn't do that, Morebucks. Snakes don't like loud noises," Blossom, who was standing nearby, commented. Princess turned pale, but gave up struggling and remained silent, wide-eyed in terror.  
  
Buttercup ended her parade by piping all of the snakes back into the forest. Once the final few had glided back into the brush, she turned and curtsied politely to the audience.  
  
"Wooh-hooh, Buttercup!" Yelled out Mitch.  
  
"Yay!" the rest of the parents and band members cheered for the green Powerpuff and gave her a standing ovation, which was not hard as most of them were already standing anyhow.  
  
Princess, who had finally managed to free herself from her dress, ran back to the limousine, followed by Alfred, sobbing. "Daddy, Daddy it was so horrible! I'm gonna need months of therapy and a new dress and shoes and a snake wacker and." her whining was cut off as the limo door closed, and the car sped away from the kindergarten building.  
  
The three Powerpuff Girls flew over to the Professor, and Bubbles began to babble excitedly. "Professor did you see Buttercup? She made the snakes come out of the forest an everyone was scared, but then she made the snakes go in a line, an."  
  
"Don't worry, Bubbles, I saw everything," the Professor chuckled. "Well, except for the part when I had my eyes closed as I was screaming in terror." He turned to Buttercup. "So, young lady, what do you think of your special power now?"  
  
"Well, snake charming is pretty cool, I guess. I still don't see how it's gonna be any use."  
  
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that," said the Professor, ruffling his daughter's hair. "Knowing how our lives go, there'll likely be a giant sea serpent or a horde of intelligent space snakes invading Townville soon, and your special talent will save the day."  
  
"Yeah, and the Professor was right," said Blossom, as she looked at the smiling faces of the families walking away from the debris of the concert site. "Your power does make people happy!"  
  
And so the school concert is saved! And destroyed! Thanks to Buttercup! 


End file.
